Sitting behind Chelsea Clinton in the Woodbury Campus Center on Saturday as she spoke to the public were several stylish students in business attire holding HILLARY signs, the backdrop for the news cameras aimed at them all.
Poised and well-spoken, Chelsea talked about her mother as America’s best candidate. Those students behind her were the USM College Democrats.
Before the democratic caucus on Sunday, both democratic presidential candidates-Clinton and Obama were in Maine. All three Clintons were in the state, separately, speaking in hopes to win Maine’s early votes in the race for the presidential nomination.
The USM College Democrats, five of whom drove to South Carolina this summer to attend the National College Democratic Conference, had already heard John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton speak that day in August.
Marita Leach, vice president of the club, remembers the event well.
“At the conference, Hillary spoke first,” said Leach, “She moved the crowd with straightforward plans and enthusiasm, whereas Obama appeared to be really tired and threw the word hope around; he did not stir the same response from college student democrats.”
“She blew everyone away,” added Elizabeth Trask, president of the club.
The College Democrats, like their Republican counterparts, haven’t endorsed one candidate, and they pledge to support whoever gets the party’s nomination.
The film crew snatched Trask, rather than Clinton, immediately after Chelsea finished answering questions.
“They asked me about the youth’s role in the upcoming election.” Trask said.
“And I think that the youth are more important than ever. With such a close race, the youth will definitely play a larger role. It is our vote that will sway the election. And this is the first time all the candidates are in Maine at once. The thing is, even with such a small amount of electoral pull, Maine has 24 electoral votes, and every vote matters.”
Chelsea refused to talk to the media, but did speak to the 50-or-so people gathered in the campus center for an intimate, face-to-face dialogue.
She spoke about the plans her mother has for college students, including a comprehensive tax-credit system that will work on the federal level similar to the way Opportunity Maine works on the state level, paying back student loans through tax credits that can be gained after graduation.
Hillary plans to raise Pell grants dramatically and simplify the FAFSA.
When college students and graduates work in public-service industries —- work as nurses, teachers, or serve as AmeriCorps members, among other things — they will be able to pay back all loans via tax credits.
“No other candidate approaches education the way my mother does. This will revolutionize the way people pay for school,” Chelsea said.
Maria Tzianabos, a USM professor, was concerned about student voters. “Out of 100 students, about 15 are voting this time,” she told Chelsea. “What can you do to help motivate young voters?”
“Her robust and comprehensive college plans are really compelling,” said Chelsea, “she’s cared for years about the environment. Find the one issue each student cares about. Loans? Health Care? Then encourage them to look up what the candidates say about their plans.”
Chelsea invited questions for a large portion of her time at USM.
“She said at the beginning, ‘if there is anything I can’t answer, I’ll just tell you I can’t.’ But she answered every single question so well, spending two or three minutes on each response. She was so impressive, knowledgeable, and down-to-earth,” Trask said about Chelsea, who wore jeans and simply answered questions, staying behind for more than 20 minutes to talk to individuals one-on-one, signing posters, and listening to the small crowd.
Trask’s mother, Suzanne, is an ed-tech at Riverton School in Portland. She rushed to have Chelsea sign her HILLARY poster after her question-and-answer session.
“The students will be really proud to see that they can get this close to politics. It will really get them into it.”